Creating Art Glass Jewelry
Creating art glass jewelry and other items can be easily done at home using a minimum of tools and a glass fusing kiln.
Jewelery making has increased in popularity over recent years,hot and cold working supplies, tools and classes have rapidly grown as more people have become aware of the beauty of this medium.
For many years I have purchased my supplies from Delphi Glass, I have found them to be very helpful and reliable.
Delphi have an extremely large range of supplies as well as art and craft publications.
Online videos and information are freely available.
An electric fusing kiln is used to soften colored glasses until they fuse together as one piece.
Using a special microwave kiln small scale fusing can be done in the home microwave.
Fusing glasses are first cut to shape and arranged inside the kiln, the temperature is then set & the pieces will fuse together as they move through the fusing & cooling cycle.
Pieces can be simply fused side by side or stacked and fused or fused in other ways.
Various slumping molds can also be used to produce lovely finished pieces.
To be able to fuse together and manipulate different colored glasses to your own design is very satisfying.
There’s nothing like the excitement and sense of achievement of creating and finishing your own design.
You can produce pendants, earrings, cuff bracelets, beads & many other similar items.
For examples of completed items please visit Glass Jewelry where you will find a wide range of kiln formed items, as well as various types of art work.
Fusing Supplies
Fusible glasses are available from a number of makers in a large range of colors, textures and styles,and are also available as colored stringers, rods, shards and various grades of frit and powder.
The large amount of supplies available allows for the creation of an almost unlimited design range of colors, styles and shapes to be produced.
Differences exist between products from some makers; this means that some glasses cannot be fused together.
See Fusing Differences for important information on compatibility.
Special enamels, paints and decals designed for hot work are also used to produce stylish and unique pieces.
Many artists like to use paints prior to firing their designs.
Some kiln workers like to include metal pieces in their designs. Copper, silver, sterling silver, gold, bronze & palladium are just some of the metals used.
Each metal will react differently under heat & produce various colors when fused resulting in lovely finished products.
Kiln Safety in the home.
For your safety and the safety of others please ensure you follow all safe working methods and safety equipment usage when engaged in all aspects of the hot and cold work process.
Dichroic Glass
Of the more recent materials Dichroic Glasses are used in many handcrafted dichroic fused glass pieces as well as in beads.
Dichoric has vivid colors which change hues when viewed from different angles.
It is coated with a number of metallic materials which result in a glass than when heated in a kiln produces brilliant & vivid colors.
Because the material heats and cools at a different rate to the metallic coating no two pieces are the same resulting in unique fused dichroic items.
Dichroic is extremely popular because of its intense colors and is used for making earrings, bracelets, beads, cabochons, rings, hair clips and pendants.
Starting Out
Please visit our Fusing Basics page for information on various fusing techniques.
Classes are available in many studios; fusing books & dvd’s are also available to help you get started. There are many excellent supply stores on the net.
For a bulletin board full of great information on fusing please visit the
If you decide to take up this exciting hobby, which I hope you do, you will not be limited to only jewelry, plates, coasters, bowls, Christmas ornaments are just a few of the objects that can be made in a glass kiln.
I’ll show you the tools and basic equipment you will need to get
started making handmade fused items as well as some other fun fusing
projects for you
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